A few years later, after I starting to produce as Lunacy Sound Division, Tony signed my early tracks War Inside My Brain, Fear and Self Loathing and Bonzai Tree to his label Cubic Records in 2007. Looking back, those tracks were rough around the edges, but Tony saw something in me and gave me the belief to release music. His support during the shift from vinyl to digital meant the world to me.
We soon became mates but I will always see him as my mentor as well as my friend. I often travelled from Maidstone to Nottingham to make music with him and during one of those sessions in 2008, Tony suggested we start a digital sister label to Cubic and Cubism was born. Under his guidance, it grew into the respected outlet for underground house and techno it is today.
Tony stepped back from Cubism in 2011 and I took the reins. Soon after, I met live techno artist Saytek (Joseph Keevill) at a rave in a cave in Chatham where I warmed up for him. I invited him to join Cubism and Saytek and I have been great pals ever since and we continue running Cubism together today. The label has played a big part in Saytek’s career as he developed his sound over the years with Cubism offering him the freedom to self-release on our imprint in addition to releasing a huge amount of music on many of the world’s leading labels along the way to becoming one of most exciting live, contemporary electronic artists in the world that he is today. Our partnership continues to thrive. Tony and I remain close friends too.
So, as The Night Bazaar joins forces with Beatportal, I wanted to pay tribute to Tony as I launch this next exciting chapter in my musical adventure and he kindly gave me his blessing to compile a collection of my favourite tracks of his from the digital era for this purpose. The result is Tony Thomas – The Night Bazaar album, out now on his Cubic label and available exclusively on Beatport, with a continuous mix by me available to stream for free on Mixcloud.
To celebrate the release, I sat down with Tony to look back on his incredible career.
You’ve been a prolific force in underground dance music since the ’90s, can you take us back to where it all started for you? What first pulled you into the world of electronic music?
I was playing in bands since I was 15. Initially I played guitar and sang in a punk band (Spasm)and after that I learned to play drums and played in a dub reggae band (The Reactors) so I had done a lot of live performance and was gigging even while I was still at school. Meanwhile from the age of 13 I was obsessed with synthesiser music, mainly listening to Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Giorgio Moroder etc.
I bought my first synth, an EDP Wasp and a small home studio when I was 17 and so began my journey into electronic music. I was in a synth band called Robotnik with my friend Pete Karkut and we used to record with and support Sheffield synth band Vice Versa who went on to chart success as ABC. In the early 80’s I was listening to a lot of electro but was also playing drums in a contemporary jazz band (Vermin).
Tony Thomas… Square!
In the mid 80’s I was following the beginnings of techno and house music, and I was attempting to recreate these styles myself but it wasn’t until the start of the 90s that I figured out how to make decent productions using Cubase on an Atari computer. Me and a few friends started releasing on vinyl in 92 and then didn’t stop until mid 2000s when everything went digital. In 93 I joined up with underground dance act Nebula 2 and we started up a bunch of labels releasing house, techno, trance and jungle.
In the mid 90s I learned how to mix records and began DJing locally. By the end of the 90’s I was using 3 decks and started to get gigs abroad due to the number of releases I had. I was running a few labels myself and I had a couple of collaborations going on – The Producers with Alan Barratt and Red Moon with Roger Watson (DJ Hal). We did a bunch of releases and a couple of albums together. Then in early 2000s I landed deals with Soma and Mr C’s End Recordings.
After that tons of labels wanted tunes and remixes from me and I was getting DJ gigs all over the world. I have continued running my labels but around 2014 I had to stop travelling for gigs as I had to look after my elderly parents until they passed away. Nowadays I just produce tunes and release mostly on my own labels.
You’ve released under a long list of aliases across techno, house, and everything in between. What was the reason for adopting different monikers?
I have released tunes using probably over 40 different aliases over the years as I was making so many tracks in so many different styles that I didn’t want to release them all as Tony Thomas tracks. I was at one point making 2 or 3 tracks a day – house, deep house, techno, jackin, minimal, progressive, chill, and whatever else took my fancy. I then began to develop these pretend artists over the years, with so many releases & some even got offers of gigs, which was funny!
Which period in your career do you look back on most fondly, and why?
My favourite period of my career was when I was performing all over the world from around 2000 to 2014. I was playing 2 or 3 parties and festivals a week and constantly flying around playing alongside some amazing DJs and meeting so many wonderful, beautiful party people of all nationalities. One week at Miami MC I had 7 gigs which was to be honest a bit too much! Those were great times for me but I certainly couldn’t handle all that nowadays, it would be too exhausting!
Has your approach to making music changed much over the years?
My approach to music is very different nowadays compared to when I began. I have been through so many different phases of equipment, software and methods of production. I am always changing and developing usually based on what and who is influencing me the most at that time. I have so many ways of starting a track now that I never get bored. I also have long periods of time when I don’t produce as I have so many other interests that I pursue including painting, drawing, sculpture, gardening and aquariums. So, each time I get back into production I have a completely fresh set of ideas and a new approach. Whilst I am pursuing my other pastimes I am constantly keenly listening to new sounds and releases – always doing my homework if you like!
Tony Thomas – The Night Bazaar – Available exclusively on Beatport now – Click image
Thank you for giving me your blessing to compile and mix this collection to launch The Night Bazaar’s new relationship with Beatportal and an exciting new phase of my career in music. It’s been an honour. What do you think of the selection? It was not easy and I was obviously thinking of the flow of the mix at the same time as presenting a snapshot of your vast discography for the Beatport exclusive album of unmixed individual tracks.
Nice track selection Marky I approve. To be honest I wouldn’t know which of my tracks to select as I have way too many to choose from and my tastes are constantly changing. Great mix my friend.
What’s next Tony? I know you have just settled into your new house. Is your studio set up yet and when can we expect more new music?
I have no proper studio space set up now having just moved to the new house. I am working on it and it will be ready soon and will be perfect. Of course, I will be making plenty more tracks – production is an addiction for me but these days I have a better handle on it. Quality not quantity!
Check out The Night Bazaar’s brand new Beatportal page HERE.
